Auto MNCs put new models to safety tests in India first

NEW DELHI: Indian expertise in the automotive sector is coming handy for global car companies like Japanese manufacturers Nissan, Toyota and Honda and the German luxury car makers like BMW and Volkswagen to test their vehicle performance and get international certification.

These car makers are negotiating with the National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRIP) to take on the rigorous robustness and performance tests of their future vehicles intended for both overseas as well as the Indian market.

International players are also preferring India over China to test their upcoming vehicles due to its stronger Intellectual Property Rights system. Many auto makers are already facing piracy issues with different Chinese companies.

These companies have shown keen interest in the largest testing track in the world, the 14.5 km ‘Oval High Speed Circuit’ coming up at Indore, where vehicles can drive up to a speed of 350 kmph.

A senior NATRIP official confirmed its negotiations with various international car makers and said: “Besides the Oval High Speed track, we are also preparing 32 other tracks, which will complement all kinds of vehicle testing at high speeds.

Initially these car makers want to race their high-end and sports cars on our tracks, to be followed by safety (including passive), emission and homologation tests at our different centres. Besides these car makers, an array of international component manufacturers’ from Europe, Asia and the US have approached us for testing and certifying their equipment.”

Car makers say that the NATRIP testing facilities give an exact picture of the performance of the vehicles in different climatic conditions, while the testing costs are much lower compared to other international vehicle testing agencies. “We expect to get international level of tests at costs around 30% lower than Japan and Europe.

While NATRIP will be conducting different kinds of tests on our automotive products, it will also provide internationally-recognised certification that will help us to access all developed markets,” said a senior executive of Honda SIEL Cars India.

NATRIP has already tied up with the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), the UK’s testing and certification agency. VCA, which is recognised in over 100 countries, will give all assistance in testing to NATRIP and also provide international certification of these products.

Auto makers like Maruti Suzuki India and Hyundai Motors India, which together produce over 70% of the cars manufactured in India, have also shown keen interest to get their vehicles tested and homologated at NATRIP’s upcoming centres at Manesar in Haryana and at Oragadam near Chennai.